Flavor Explosion!

Monday night for dinner, we had an absolutely fantastic meal. It was spicy and tangy; it was soft and crunchy. It had all of the components you could want in a meal. Pork/Tofu Tacos with Slaw and Spicy Pepitas will be a regular on our dinner table from now on. These tacos, with a rub and a quick lime marinade, have an immense amount of flavor that can't be beat. Although the recipe has a bunch of components, it really doesn't take that long to make. The only part of the recipe that takes much time at all is allowing the pork to sit in the rub for an hour. I'm sure that if this part of the recipe lasted longer the pork flavor would only get better, and if you didn't have time to let it sit for that length of time the spices would still shine through. It turned out that my tofu actually had more flavor than the pork. I used the same rub, but I think I got more of it than Adam. Only those who aren't shy with spices and flavor should try this knockout.


Pork Tacos with Slaw and Spicy Pepitas (Cooking Light, October 2008)

We, obviously, substituted some of the pork for tofu. In addition, we used red cabbage instead of the pre-packaged coleslaw mix, flour tortillas instead of the corn, and fat-free Greek yogurt instead of the light sour cream.

1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground ancho or chipotle chile pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 lbs. boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2-inch thick)
cooking spray
1/4 cup fresh lime juice, divided
1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper
2 Tbs. thinly sliced green onions
1 Tbs. minced jalapeno pepper
1/2 (16-oz) package coleslaw (about 3 cups)
12 (6-inch) white or yellow corn tortillas
6 Tbs. light sour cream
6 Tbs. Spicy Pepitas

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Lightly coat pork with cooking spray; rub spice mixture over both sides of pork. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Preheat grill.
3. Place pork on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 1 minute on each side or until done. Cut pork into 1/4-inch slices. Combine pork and 2 Tbs. juice in a medium bowl, tossing to coat.
4. Combine the remaining 2 Tbs. juice, bell pepper, onions, jalapeno, and coleslaw in a large bowl, tossing well.
5. Heat a nonstick griddle over medium heat. Coat griddle with cooking spray. Arrange 6 tortillas in a single layer; cook 1 minute on each side or until lightly browned. Repeat procedure with cooking spray and remaining 6 tortillas. Divide pork mixture evenly among tortillas; top each tortilla with 2 Tbs. coleslaw mixture, 1 1/2 tsp. sour cream, and 1 1/2 tsp. Spicy Pepitas.

Spicy Pepitas

1 cup unsalted pumpkinseed kernels
1 Tbs. canola oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground ancho or chipotle chile pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add kernels to pan; cook 10 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Remove from pan; cool completely.